The quickest way to fall behind in a fantasy football league is to become complacent and rely on the team you drafted, neglecting the all-important waiver wire. As managers make numerous waiver claims for Week 15, hoping to strengthen their roster for the playoffs, should Kansas City Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon be a priority addition off the waiver wire vs. the Texans?
Jerick McKinnon Has a Career Day Against the Broncos
The Kansas City backfield has been a mess this year. Honestly, it’s been that way for years. It’s not entirely surprising. We were wondering if this could happen again in 2022. Clyde Edwards-Helaire had yet to establish himself as the dominant running back many wanted him to be coming out of LSU.
Additionally, the signings of rookie Isiah Pacheco and veteran Jerick McKinnon further complicated matters by turning his backfield into a full-fledged committee. But with Edwards-Helaire going on the IR, the roles became more evident, and on Sunday, McKinnon showed his full arsenal of skills and why he could be such a valuable player in fantasy football.
Don’t want to risk your fantasy record? Well, you can always take a shot on McKinnon as your RB in Underdog Fantasy‘s Best Ball weekly tournaments with the chance to win thousands in prizes. Sign up now and get a deposit match of up to $100 and join one of the many weekly Best Ball tournaments available every week.
Week 14 was McKinnon’s best game of the year. While he only had 22 yards on six carries, McKinnon caught seven of his nine targets for a team-high 112 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Denver Broncos, finishing as the RB1 on the week with 32.4 PPR points.
MORE: Week 15 Fantasy Waiver Wire Targets
McKinnon has been the Chiefs’ third-down back all season, which was expected when the team signed him in the offseason. He was extremely busy when the Broncos were mounting a comeback, and that makes sense when we look back at his play this year, as McKinnon typically has been involved when games are closer and they are leaning on the passing offense.
In fact, on Sunday, McKinnon led Pacheco 25-24 on early downs and 39 to 29 on total plays. However, Pacheco should still be considered the No. 1 running back on this roster, given his consistent utilization, rushing ability, and monopoly on goal-to-go rushing situations.
With the fantasy football playoffs starting this week and a matchup against the Houston Texans on the horizon, should fantasy managers bank on the upside McKinnon and add him off the waiver wire in Week 15?
Should Jerick McKinnon Be a Top Waiver Wire Priority for Fantasy Managers in Week 15?
Truth be told, this is not a fun week for waiver wire targets. But it’s also not surprising. By this time of the year, roles have been established, and guys receiving significant volume or opportunity shares are already rostered. So this point, we’re just banking on trends, upside, and matchups.
If you need a running back this week, there are likely three options. Two are Ravens’ running backs, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, and the other is McKinnon. Even with last week being a complete outlier, if you’re telling me I can get someone who was going to run 36 routes in a Patrick Mahomes offense, I am extremely interested.
MORE: Week 15 Fantasy Football Sleepers
Whether or not you should start him this week is a different discussion. As noted earlier, most of McKinnon’s playing time is in close games. A game against the Houston Texans is not going to be all that close. However, Weeks 16 and 17 against the Seahawks and, once again, Broncos should push McKinnon further up the rankings. However, he comes in this week as a low-end RB3 in PPR formats, bringing some upside to your fantasy roster as the playoffs begin.